Heavyweight champion of the Home Renovation ring, Kitchen upgrades are a great place to add value to your home. Being one of the most used rooms in your entire home, the kitchen is almost always the first place homeowners consider investing their money. The best home investments improve function and efficiency along with whatever cosmetic upgrades you’ve got planned. Here are a few upgrades to definitely consider when it’s time for your new kitchen.
Energy Efficiency
The kitchen uses all your utilities; gas, plumbing, and electric. For this reason, it’s important that your kitchen upgrades automatically include improving energy efficiency. You can upgrade your larger appliances as you go, honestly, especially since they tend to be one of the higher ticket items. Catch these things when they go on sale or as rebates and financing become available, but get your kitchen fully equipped with Energy Star rated appliances as soon as you can to start saving money and resources. On a smaller scale, however, you can opt for low-flow faucets and LED lighting.
Storage
Oof. Let’s be really real for a hot minute. There’s never going to be enough storage space. Ever. Not then, not now, not ever. For starters, you can go through your kitchen and clear it of any unused, single-purpose kitchen gadgets. You know the ones. Those things As Seen On TV, showcased by people who just can’t seem to function on the most basic level. Aside from that, though, there are things you can to do improve storage in your kitchen.
Deepen your counters and bottom cabinets. In lieu of a kitchen island (not all kitchens are built for them) increasing the depth of this space will cut into your floor space a little, but you’ll still be able to move effortlessly around it. While you’re building new custom cabinetry, adding extras like a lazy susan or sliding drawers will make it easy for you to reach even the items in the very back.
Wall space is another area you can use to increase storage. Instead of hanging a pot rack from the ceiling (thanks, from all the short people) mount it to a blank wall. You can get creative with the types of materials you use to make it not just functional, but decorative as well. For wine glasses and coffee mugs, utilize the space underneath your top cabinets by installing hooks or a rack. For items that aren’t made for hanging, add open shelves to your walls.
Cosmetics
Here’s the real fun. If your cabinets are still in good shape and not overly crowded, consider painting them or simply changing out the knobs. A few minutes on Etsy and you can have a whole new set of handles for your door and drawers that are more artisan and unique than what corporate stores are likely to have.
For an easy floor fix, update from that retro old linoleum to some beautiful bamboo click-lock flooring. Easy to install, this natural material comes in a variety of shades and is more sustainable and higher quality than vinyl. Best of all worlds.
Lastly, color. Backsplashes are still the perfect way to add texture and dimension to the design, but choosing the right color for your kitchen is key. You can implement color through your cabinets, countertops, curtains, and wall color. When choosing a color, pick something that energizes you and your appetite. Cooking is a chore and when you’re tired and not in the mood it’s even worse. Having a bright, inviting color can help chase those blues away.